Length adjusting and attaching bracket



June 16, 1953 M. L. SAMUELS 2,642,249

LENGTH ADJUSTING AND ATTACHING BRACKET Filed March 12, 1948 I 14,14 flaw,

2r ef sse s ie i i ifi Q iIiQ s i ior to Reflector Hardware. Corporatiomflhicago, 111., a

- This invention relates to improvements .in.;de

vices for supporting mechandi-sefor'display pur:

poses ,and .is particularly. concernediwith; means for adjusting: the lengthof a bar-like, suppo t member so that itsattaching means maybe made to registenwith complementalme'ans on apairpf spaced, upright .,standa'rds-, which standards may Joe-fixed in spaced;relation by, having their bot tomssecured .to a fioorortable.-- The supp rtin member. or QIOSSrhZtI, in turn supports a plurality ofhanger-brackefi, on; which the mechandise .is hung, and thus the ,cross.baraisslibmittedto a considerable load. It is therefore-an object herein, to provide strong ,means, for connecting the lengtheadjusting means tothestandard. A t Thegstandards herein are provided either with onevertically aligned row or with two vertically ali ned rows of openings, in the form of. slots yerics 1y-.;a1i ned and s ace e, por n memb s -..'Q ars a n a ly p v ed wi h at achin -means,desi e to .r eis srt it and, nter e, s ts-a d in erl c th ew h ecure the c s su ortt th standar s- H W.- sver. due orve at e s n these 1 tw en he and rdsp s er. esi rati n Q classie tions w t the slo .i P alway n is a troublesome matter, whicl it this .inventionto overcomeQ l sr amet is is b m i es att s hsvm s teni aj. s s l srew 2 .9 ts with, t e slot t9 rett t ac s and. rr sw W ds-Et a w i@n i .t l ss sbns d 1 th s-s p rted that Y Applicati0n lXI archl 2, 194,;Se1' ial No. 14,463 -2.4 72 4 ..;..=....1. 1.. i

... Qbjects,;featuresyand advantages of the in ventionwillkbe pointed out inthe description of thedrawingsand-in said drawings: r

Fig. 1 is a front View showing the invention applied in the support of both ends of a crossbar in relation to two standards; o t r ig- 2. is .av t ca oss ect on t n a proama e i n'l ne ,2;0 ie- .i V;

iris-i3 is ailsd r e o the ri h hand bracket of Fig. 1; I Fig. 4.- is a plan'section taken approximately on line 44 of Fig. 3 7 f Fig. 5 is 'amodification showinga bar s pported only by' one bracket of this invention instead o wo; a 1 Fig. 6 is a plan section taken online. B-fi of Fig, 5 showing the construction of that end of the barwhichdoes not have a-bracket. I Referring to the drawings numeral land 2 respectively indicate two standards each havin a'vertical row- 0f slots 3-.withwhich hooks of a bracket herein are adapted tov interlock. ,Numer al 4 indicates a crossbar which-is'adapted to'support a series of detachable hanger brackets fi. Each of these hanger brackets has a horizontally projecting rod 1 adapted to support goods tobe' displayed. The bar is therefore submitted to a considerable'load, and it is important to provide means by which the bar can-be strongly attached to the standards. 2*-

' The cross-bar'tnhas each slida'blyguided in an extension bracket and "attaching structure of this invention.

the bracke t can be movedinrelation tothe cross support; orthe 'crossi-supportj can be moved in.

relation tofjthe bracketg and I bracket and bar after: adjustmn ofthe bracket thereon; toprovide a "bracket which ''a be formed chiefly from sheet material; to provide means'for"stronglyrsisting lateral motions of t e r ta it o nts tt sms twithfi standard; ,ltokprovideriah elongated thrusFs urface at a" point below'fthe' lower of the two attaching hooks; to so locate the. cross-bar in rela- The brackets aremade as rights and lefts but are otherwise structurally identical. Now-referring toFigs. 2; 3,- and 4; the bracket is formed from apieceof sheet metal bent to providesiirst and second right angularly related portions adapted to lie in a vertical plane when the bracket isattached'to :a standard or support. The first plateelikepportion is indicated at l0 and the second portion is indicatedat H. The first por. tion is provided with a :pair of marginally-rearwardlyaextending upper and lower hook structures respectively indicated at M and 15.- The hooks are arranged vertically one above theother,

andfeachlhook has a downwardly faced edge surface lfi adapted to flatly engage the upper edge surface of theslot with which itis associated. Each hook also has anedge surface I! adapted tofflatly engage the'rear surface of the wall of laterally in an opposite direction as'best shown in Figs. and 4. Each punched out prong orportion is provided with an edge surface 2 I. (see Figs; I

2 and 4), which flatly engages-the front face of the. standard-when-the:hoo are interlockediifthe slots The upper end of the punched out portion 20 and the lower end of the punched out portion I9 may be said to lie in a horizontal plane which is intermediate of and substantially midway between the planes of edge portions iii of the hook structure, while the bodies of the prongs or por tions [9 and 20 are disposed in separate planes substantially at right angles to the plane of the forward face of the standard. These elements I!) and 20 (see Fig. 4) serve to'strongly resist lateral swinging motion of the bracket about its points of connection with the standard, for forces tending to swing the bracket are absorbed by the prongs or portions l9 and 20 in edge compression.

Thus, the prongs or portions :9 and 26 will absorb far greater bracket swinging forces than would be the case'if'the prongs were arranged so as to absorb these forces in simple bending moment applied thereto.

The plate-like portion ll of the bracket has upper and lower bent-over portions 25 which form a guide in which the end of the bar 4 can slide. The portion II is provided with a slot 26 which extends in a direction arranged longitudinally of the bar, that is horizontallyywhen the bar is attached. Through this slot is passed a bolt 21, the outer end of the bolt being threaded and the wing nut 28 being engaged therewith. The head 29 of the bolt engages the outer surface of the portion II as shown in Fig. 2 and by means of the wing nut the parts can be clamped in any position to which they may have been adjusted. This clamping action is, of course, performed after the hooks have been interlocked with the slots.

The height relations of the portions 10 and II of the bracket to one another and to the hooks and elements 19 and 20 are important.

It is to be noted that the vertical height of the plate portion 10 is substantially greater than the vertical height of the plate portion II and that the plate portion l I is so related to the plate portion ID as to provide a substantial extension of the portion l below the bottom of the portion H. This downwardly extending portion is also at a level below the lower hook l and is provided with a surface 30 which is co-planar with surfaces 2| and which engages the front face of thestandard as shown when the bracket is attached, The portion II is disposed in horizontal opposition to the hook structure, but the plate In extendsa' sub stantial distance below the lower side of'portion H. The top of the bar 4 is about at the level of the surface 16 of the upper hook andis a; substantial distance above the level of the surface 30, so that unusually strong supporting action is obtained by the bracket. This arrangement together with the arrangement of the elements l9 and 20 and surface engagements at 2! and 30 resuit in a very rigid locking connection.

In Fig. 5 a modification has been shown in which only a single bracket like that previously described is used, at one end of a bar 32. The bracket in this case has exactly the same construction as that previously described. However, the opposite end of the bar 32 is modified by bending its end 33 to the right angular position shown, and by securing to the inner side of this portion 33 a plate 34 which has the same construction as plate portion [0 previously described, in regard to its hook construction. The plate 34 is suitably In this form of the invention the hook structure 34 is first attached in the slots, and then the bracket is adjusted to obtain interlocking of its v hook structure with the slots, and then the wing nut is manipulated to clamp the parts together.

Although I am aware that adjustments of this general kind have been provided for, I do not believe that any structure comparable to that shown herein has ever been provided which carries projections which interlock with slots of uprights, and in which the supporting and interlocking elements cooperate to obtain that degree of supporting strength obtained by the practice of this invention.

1 claim:

1. A bracketadapted to be supported in outstanding relation with the forward face of a standard which'has a row of vertically aligned and spaced slots therein comprising, a piece'of sheet metal bent to provide first and second right angularly plate-like portions adapted to lie in vertical planes when the bracket is attached to the standard, the first portion having up'per'and lower marginal hooks adapted to interlock with corresponding slots of th'e'standard, thesecond portion having means to slidably receive" and guide and support'the end of a crossbar, means for clamping the'bracket'to the bar, said first portion having struck out therefrom in opposite directions prongs disposed in separate planes substantially at right angles to the plane of the forward face of the standard and having edges adapted to engage said forward face to resist lateral swinging motion of the bracket in relation to the standard, the vertical height of the first portion being substantially greater than that of the second portion and having a part extending a substantial distance below the lower hook and which is adapted to abut the standard. 7

2. A bracket entirely formed from a single piece of sheet material such as metalhaving a vertical plate-like body having two opposite face surfaces said body having at its rear two hooks, adapted to interlock with vertically aligned slots of a standard, when the bracket is moved downwardly,

and said body having at its rear a vertical transversel'y narrow edge surface adapted to fit tightly against the'front'face of the'standard when the hooksare fully engaged, contiguous portions of said body being punched out in opposite directions to adapt portions of said narrow edge surfaces to act to brace the body of the bracket against swinging motion about said rear edge surface, the front of said bracket having a right angularly related horizontal portion having a recess on its rear side adapted to slidably receive the end of a bar, and said portion having a slot for receiving a releasable fastening device by which the bar can be clamped to said portion.

MARTIN -L. SAMUELS.

References Cited in the file of this was;

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 977,609 Freeman Dec. 6, 1910 1,235,679 -Gerberich Aug. 7, 1917' 1,286,376 Madsen Dec. 3, 1918 1,366,743 OConnor Jan. 25, 1921 1,753,012 Levene Apr. 1, 1930 2,056,544 Vanderveld 2 Oct. 6, 1936 2,256,188- Berren' Sept. 16, 1941 

